Cobras hiss, locals shudder, Secunderabad a snake pit

SECUNDERABAD: Venomous spectacled cobras and Russell’s vipers are taking refuge in areas with thick vegetative cover such as Alwal, Bhoiguda and Yapral.
Many areas in the outskirts of Secunderabad have observed a steady rise in the number of snake sightings. Residents rue snakes are adapting to the human habitat with many being found in open plots and areas with higher vegetation in the recent past.
In Bhoiguda area, four snakes were rescued in the last three months. Last week, a spectacled cobra was found at a house in front of Gandhi Hospital. “After Gandhi Hospital’s girls hostel was closed down a few months ago, large bushes have grown on the plot. Many poisonous snakes have come out from those bushes and spread out in the vicinity,” said T Ravi Kumar, professor at St Mary’s Group of Institutions and a resident of Bhoiguda. Residents blame GHMC for its failure to clean sewerage lines and clear open plots with thick vegetation, leading to an increase in the number of snake sightings in Secunderabad area. In another incident, a three-foot-long black cobra was rescued from Kowkoor in Malkajgiri, besides other sightings in Secunderabad Cantonment area last month.
According to Friends of Snakes Society (FoSS), of the 601 snakes rescued in October, close to 100 were caught in Secunderabad and its periphery. “Snake sightings are higher in areas with thick vegetation. While spectacled cobras are most common, an equal number of Russell’s vipers were found this month as this is the mating season of the species,” said Avinash Visvanathan, chief functionary of FoSS, which operates out of Sainikpuri. Members of FoSS admitted that they receive large number of calls from city outskirts.
“We received about 10-15 snake-related distress calls from Secunderabad area on Monday. The frequency of snake sightigs in Secunderabad and its periphery is on the rise,” said Visvanathan.